Feb 1 2022 — Paul Wells — Maclean's — A strong rule of journalistic etiquette holds that reporters mustn’t grant anonymity to sources for the purpose of badmouthing political opponents. Follow along with me now as I trample that principle underfoot. I will be ably assisted by a member of the Conservative caucus, here unnamed, with whom I chatted on Monday night. This MP […]
Jan 30 2022 — Philippe J. Fournier — Maclean's — The Conservative leader’s latest personal popularity numbers are bleak, inside and outside his party. Erin O’Toole has been leader of the Conservative Party for close to 18 months now, and during his leadership the only time his favourability numbers showed any sign of improvement was the two-week span between the Prime Minister calling an election […]
Jan 28 2022 — Paul Wells — Maclean's — We’re still very far from knowing for sure that Russia will invade Ukraine. Or at least that it will invade Ukraine again, more than it already has and on a scale larger than its regular, continuing cross-border harassment. Joe Biden’s “guess” is that there will be an invasion. The U.K. is on edge too. These […]
Jan 25 2022 — Kerry Buck — Maclean's — While we’re not yet out of the most serious pandemic seen in a century, we are moving in a direction where we can start to contemplate a slow return to normal. But the new “normal” of a post-COVID world will probably look a lot different from the one we remember pre-pandemic. I joined Canada’s Department […]
Jan 19 2022 — Maclean's — Certain reflexes are learned from experience, which helps explain why lately I open emails from the Prime Minister’s Office in something approximating the way Jeremy Renner opened packages in The Hurt Locker. A wince, a clench, a glimpse through half-shut eyes: what fresh hell have we here? Last night, reporters covering the federal government received […]
Jan 12 2022 — Paul Wells — Maclean's — I admit I was kind of intrigued when François Legault, the Quebec premier who’s never short of new ideas, announced he’s thinking about levying a “health contribution”—essentially, a hefty tax—against Quebecers who aren’t vaccinated. As you’ll have heard, thinking about it is so far all Legault is doing. At the Tuesday news conference where he […]
Jan 5 2022 — Paul Wells — Maclean's — Among the small number of Ontario Liberals who knew Kathleen Wynne would be speaking to Maclean’s, there was considerable nervousness. Wynne was Ontario’s premier for six years, the first woman and first openly gay premier. She won re-election handily in 2014, but in 2018 the party suffered its worst defeat since Confederation. Why talk now, […]
Jan 4 2022 — Paul Wells — Maclean's — Sooner or later, everyone visits Ottawa. Why, here at the end of November was Glen VanHerck, a Kentucky-born U.S. Air Force general, former pilot and instructor in F-15 fighters and B-2 bombers. Since the summer of 2020 he has been the commander of NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command. In Ottawa, VanHerck met Canada’s […]
Jan 4 2022 — Stephen Maher — Maclean's — On Sept. 22, Shanon Sheppard of Halifax posted a video on Facebook to share terrible news with the world. Sheppard, who comes across like a normal, worried mom in the video, says she hopes she can keep from crying. After she composes herself, she reveals the disturbing news she just learned from her daughter at […]
Dec 10 2021 — Paul Wells — Maclean's — Here’s one measure of how little Building Back Better we’re getting done here in the nation’s capital: MPs from different parties and perspectives are having an interesting conversation about important matters. But it’s entirely off-book. It’s spontaneous, the leaders of the various parties didn’t ask for it, and it’s pretty clear they desperately wish it […]
Dec 9 2021 — Justin Ling — Maclean's — When President Joe Biden got off a video call with his Russian counterpart on Tuesday, he started working the phones: Paris, Berlin, Rome, and London were all on his call sheet. He was building a unified front of countries looking to send a strong signal to Russia that an incursion into Ukraine would come with […]
Dec 9 2021 — Paul Wells — Maclean's — An oddly valedictory week for the Prime Minister. (Don’t read anything into it. What kind of fool would read anything into it?) On Monday Justin Trudeau sent out a release bidding his ambassador to Beijing, Dominic Barton, a fond farewell. “Dominic, my friend, thank you for your work and dedication to our country and to […]
Dec 6 2021 — Paul Wells — Maclean's — What’s the most important thing your workplace does? Maybe you work at a restaurant, so making food is a key to success. Maybe you’re in journalism, so you need to sell advertising. If you’re in trucking, logistics—keeping track of freight, fuel and carriers—might be what keeps you up at night. Have you ever considered splitting […]
Dec 6 2021 — Paul Wells — Maclean's — The biggest question in Canadian politics in 2022 is whether Trudeau will still be PM when the year is done. The Grits may be forced to consider life after him—and what they even stand for without him. Trudeau and the newly sworn in ministers in Ottawa on Oct. 26, 2021 (Courtesy of Alex Tétreault/PMO) On […]
Nov 24 2021 — Shannon Proudfoot — Maclean's — A Speech from the Throne is a curious thing. It functions as a mission statement at the opening of a new session of Parliament, so it is effectively a government talking to itself and about itself to the public at once. In its modern incarnation at least, it carries an infomercial subtext in quietly extolling […]